


Summer’s Day, Shimmering Scales

by MarianKat



Series: Fantasy/Magical AU [1]
Category: Try Guys - Fandom
Genre: Ariel is a good person, B I G W O R D S, Blindness, Cute Kid :), Dramatic backstory!!!!!, Eugene Lee Yang is a merperson, Fantasy, Gayness, Gets worse later on, Hope you like it!, Hunting, KEITH OWNS A RESTAURANT, NED IS A SCIENTIST, Oceans, Other, So is Zach, Some blood and gore, Studying, This is all a figment of my imagination, cussing of course, kind of, scientists - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-16 20:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21277013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarianKat/pseuds/MarianKat
Summary: What happens when a supposed shark is caught to be studied by scientist/biologist Ned Fulmer isn’t really one at all? Help! I suck at summaries!





	1. Summer’s Day

The blazing sun glinted off the sand at the ocean. Keith Habersberger polished the last window, and flipped his CLOSED sign to OPEN. Swiping back his brown hair, he went outside to set up a few umbrellas. Keith’s Fried Chicken was ready to serve! (You see what I did there hehe.) Keith was waiting inside behind the cash register when his first customer came. The man was in his early forties, with gray patches in his hair and a strong build took a seat near a window in the small restaurant. Keith took his order and set to work.

After giving the customer his food, Keith strutted back to the counter. He loved his restaurant, and made all of the food and drinks every day. His next customer was a regular. The red-brown haired and bearded man was Ned Fulmer, one of Keith’s best friends. The scientist came here every day and had the same order. “One coffee and a batch of chicken waffles please.” (Waffles shaped like chickens lol.) Keith chuckled as he started up the coffee machine. “The reason I have a coffee machine here is because your’e one of the only people to order coffee.” he said. Ned smirked, “This food is the only stuff that wakes me up in the morning.” He worked at a biology lab that studied sea life. It made sense, because it was located right by the Pacific Ocean in California. 

So was Keith’s Fried Chicken. 

Ned was taking a sip of his coffee when he spotted what looked like a large fin shift around in the water by the beach. ‘Must be dolphins or a shark. Probably the latter, because dolphins aren’t that size.’ he speculated, watching it circle. The it seemed to shimmer a bright, blinding color and disappear. Ned spat out his coffee in surprise, accidentally hitting Keith. “Oh come on Ned. What the hell.” “Sorry!” Ned called to Keith as he raced out the door. His coworkers weren’t going to believe this!


	2. Going Hunting

“I saw the craziest thing!” Ned shouted as he burst into the office. Zach Kornfeld, who was measuring the shell of a turtle, jumped with a yelp. “Jesus Christ! Give a little forewarning before you come bursting in here.” he grumbled. “Sorry. But Zach, you won’t believe this! I was at Keith’s place, ya know I’m watching the water, sipping my coffee, and I see a shark fin. Yet this shark CHANGED COLORS then DISAPPEARED!” Ned exclaimed, words running together from excitement. Zach nodded sarcastically and said, “Yeah you’re right. I don’t believe it.” Ned rubbed his hand across his face, giving an angry eye at the skinny man in front of him. “I’ll take a boat out and catch it. Just to prove ya wrong.” Ned sighed. “Well, I’m coming with you then, because you can’t drive a boat and set magnetic fish hooks at the same time.” Zach declared, setting the measuring tape down. (Magnetic fish hooks don’t hurt fish :))

About thirty minutes later, Ned was driving a large boat with Zach in the back, tying on fish hooks. Puttering to a stop in the place he saw the fin, Ned took long, careful steps as he went to the back. Straightening his coat, he asked, “are the lines ready?” “Yup. Just have to cast them now.” Zach replied. Taking hold of the shaft, he flung the bait over the side. Now, we wait. 

About 15 minutes later, a slight tug on the line perked their senses. Ned sat up and watched as Zach grabbed onto the line, reeling it up. It revealed... an empty hook. No the line didn’t snap, no twisted metal. It just sat there, like it didn’t have bait in the first place. Ned was disappointed, and Zach muttered some thing like “fuckin’ fish isn’t real” while setting another hook. Again, he cast it over. Again, it came back empty. It continued for about 6 more attempts. Slapping the fishing rod on the bottom of the boat, Zach cursed as he stomped away. Ned looked at the line and said, “Hey Zach, can I try regular hooks?” “Be my guest. But it isn’t real I tell ya!” the brown haired man called back. Tying a tiny knot on the sinker and pointed hook, he adjusted the fishing line and stuck on a piece of stinky bait. ‘This is sure to get it. It’ll smell this from a mile away!’ Ned thought as he tossed the hook a ways away. 

Not even 8 minutes later, Ned felt the pull on the line. But this felt different. Usually, you’d feel the rapid shakes of the shark’s head as it tried to break off. This just felt smooth, with very few tremors. Starting to reel in, Ned let out a yell of triumph when the fish yielded. 

Then he was almost yanked into the water like a limp doll. Holy shit. What was this thing?! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thrashed in the water as the hook bit through my hand. Goddammit. Why did I have to go for another? Twisting about, I tried to pull away. The hook completely tore my palm, making me scream in pain. Rolling, I tried to got the other way. The fishing line wrapped around my lithe and powerful tail, the string cutting off circulation and cutting into my tailfins. My scales changed color sequences because of my fear and adrenaline. I’m getting tired. This isn’t worth it. No. I have to try. My boyfriend is waiting for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ned gasped as he struggled against the creature. Zach started pulling with him, his efforts helping. The creature was tiring. Then another burst of speed almost toppled the two men off the boat. Tugging some more, they finally had some progress. The fish started to float up, seeming to have given up. What they saw shocked them. It was hard to tell. The creature looked like a merperson. It was a merperson! 

And the line was strangling his throat.


	3. Tangled and Hooked

The merperson, male I believe, had raven black hair and darker skin. There were scales on his ribs, intricate swirling patterns. The actual tail was slightly longer than what his human legs would’ve been. If he had them. It was muscular, with tiger-like stripes, and it had the fishing line tangled around it. The scales on the merman’s body changed colors, at first a bright orange from anxiety, then a dull purple from lack of oxygen. Ned instantly went for the line choking him, cutting it off with a pair of scissors. They were trapping his gills. The merman gasped, coughed, then spouted a large amount of curses at the men. His scales became more vibrant when his breathing was restored. His gaze flicked up to them, and he hissed loudly. He was an Asian. His eyes were reptilian, like a snake, and they were purple as well. Except they don’t change colors. The merman gestured to his tail and said in perfect English, “Cut this off or I will tip the boat.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I knew I didn’t need their help. But I wanted to play around with them. The humans stared at me open mouthed. Then the skinny one shouted, “You can talk?! How are you breathing?!” “Yes, didn’t you hear me a second ago? And lungs, duh.” I answered, closing my gills against my neck to prove a point. 

I knew I should’ve just flipped the boat then. But noooo, I had to go off and tell them that. Now the humans were taking me somewhere. Jumping now is a bad idea. I don’t want to hit the engine. ‘Well Matt, I’ll have to find you later.’ I thought worriedly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ned stopped the boat at the dock, turning the engine off. Slipping the key into his pocket, he stepped over to where the merman was. “Okay, what’s your name? I don’t want to call you creature in my head forever.” he inquired. “My name is Billy.” he chirped. Ned and Zach looked at him quizzically. The merman gave a high pitched laugh and said, “Of course it’s not Billy. I’m Eugene.” “Alright Eugene, we’re gonna carry you inside. We’re not going to do anything, just measure you up and cut off the lines.” Ned said. “Really? Cause the other guy looks like he’s about to loose it.” Eugene pointed at Zach. Zach was freaking out. “Ned! We have a fucking merman in our boat! You’re just gonna let him go?” he shouted. Ned shushed him, placing a finger over his mouth. “Listen, he’s hurt. The hook is stuck in his hand. I’m gonna take care of that as well.” Ned explained. “I can hear you guys. I know what you’re planning.” Eugene called, one hand fishing around in the water. “What are you doing?” Zach asked cautiously. “Nothing...” Eugene growled as he whipped out a sharp rock. Trying to cut the line, he shimmied over to the end of the boat. Unfortunately, Ned and Zach hoisted him up, and carried him away.


	4. Craziness

“You need to let me go.” Eugene said when he was flopped onto the ground. “Eugene, I respect your want to go back, but we have to cut off the lines. And there’s a giant hook in your hand. If we leave it out in the open it will get infected. We’re keeping you here until you’re fully healed.” Ned explained, whipping out a pair of cutters. They were in a larger part of the lab. It was a big room with a tank for animals. “Zach, fill up the tank while I remove the hook and lines.” Ned ordered. Zach nodded and rushed away. Taking the cutters and sliding them under the tight strings, Ned started to cut them. Eugene tensed with each snap, cringing when blood started to well up from REALLY tight ones that cut into his tail. “Can you turn a bit? There are some in the back.” Ned asked. Eugene shifted around, displaying more string. As Ned cut some more, he noticed a shark-like fin on the back. ‘So that’s what I saw.’ he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay fine. I did need their help. Some of the lines I wouldn’t have been able to untangle without hurting myself. And then there’s the hook. I want to get back to Matt. If this is how I’m going do it, so be it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gently but firmly yanking out the hook, Ned grabbed bandages to quell the spurt of blood that flew off. Eugene gritted his teeth at the sting of the antibiotics. ‘Oh shit. He’s got fangs.’ Ned thought. “All done. I’ll just need to monitor the injury for a little while, then I’ll drive you back out to the sea.” Ned said triumphantly. “Really? ‘Cause I always hear stories from my loved ones that humans are evil. Hell, they’d be screaming at me to escape right now.” Eugene questioned, flicking his tailfins a bit. “You’re just like anybody else. You deserve to be free.” Ned answered. “I’m touched.” Eugene mumbled, pressing a his bandaged hand to his chest. 

“Now, we need to get you into the tank.” Zach said, motioning to the filled tank. “How low is it?” Eugene asked. “Hmm... if you are gonna try to climb in there yourself, I don’t think you can-” Zach was cut off as Eugene hauled himself up and flipped over into the water. Some of it splashed over and drenched the two scientists watching. Smoothly swimming in circles, Eugene’s scales turned to a light, cotton candy pink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I trust Ned. He’s healing me, and is going to take me back to the sea. But Zach. I don’t trust Zach. Something seems off about him. He’s plotting something, I can feel it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is the evening now. Ned let out a long sigh as he went inside his house. “Hi Ned! How was your day?” Ariel greeted him with a kiss. “It was crazy!” Wesley, from the kitchen, burbled a greeting. “Hi Wes!” Ned cooed, walking to his son. “Tell me all about work. Sounds like something insane happened.....”


	5. Keith Finds Out

Ned explained everything to his family. And to Keith the next day. “Sorry for spitting on you. And if I need any help, I’ll be able to call you. And don’t tell anybody else. I could just imagine the amount of people that would try to take him.” Ned said. “Yeah. I hear about that stuff all the time. I’m happy to help!” Keith responded, tipping some fries into a basket. Shouldering his way through, he set it down in from of a customer and left.

“Hey Ned.” Eugene greeted, peeking out of his tank. “Hi Eugene. I brought food.” Ned responded, setting down a platter of fish. Eugene screeched loudly as his gaze set on it. His slitted pupils dilated. “I do not eat my brethren.” he hissed, pressing himself to a back corner of the tank. “Oop. Sorry.” Ned quickly apologized, and tossed the food away. “What do you eat?” he asked. “Jellyfish.” Eugene answered, swimming back to the edge of the tank, tail shining a bright green. “Hmmmm. Okay. I’ll find some.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Ned left, I smelled something wonderful! So salty, but with depth. I climbed out of the tank and thudded to the ground. Crawling with my hands, I dragged myself on the floor to find this object. A few yards away was a table with a paper bucket on it that said “Keith’s Fried Chicken”. The smell was coming from it. Reaching up, I tipped the bucket over. Its contents spilled all over the damp, tiled floor. Picking up a piece of it, I felt and smelled it. It was a light brown, and was rough and bumpy. I nibbled a bit, and the savory flavor exploded in my mouth. I scooped up more and gobbled them down ravenously. I’ll have to ask Ned for more. Matt would love this! What is the word? Chicken! Of course, it’s what the bucket said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sorry Eugene, I couldn’t find any jelly-” Ned cut himself off. He couldn’t believe the scene before him. Eugene was out of his tank, on the ground with the bucket of chicken that he had ordered for lunch. Eugene was pink again as he scarfed down the fried food. Pausing a moment, he looked up as Ned and chortled, “How is this so good?!” “I’m not even going to try to understand this.” Ned grumbled, but he was amused at the sight, and he now knew what to feed the merman.

“How did ya learn to speak English?” Ned asked. Since he was bored, he decided to bring Keith, Ariel, and Wesley in to see Eugene. He could tell that the merperson was tense, but much more comfortable than yesterday. “Well, I used to live in a trench near South Korea, and I eventually migrated to Texas. There, I met my love. His name is Matt, and he taught me. It was hard, though, because all I knew were the words ‘food’ and ‘stars’ before I met him. All I spoke was Korean.” Eugene responded, eyes distant in memory. “Awwww.” Ariel and Keith gushed, hands clasped together. “So that’s why you want to leave so badly.” Ned mused out loud. “Yeah...” Eugene muttered sullenly, resting his chin on the edge of the pool. Now that the light hit him right, Ned noticed tiny scales running along his eyes and cheekbones. Eugene was a navy blue. He looked so sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I’m Marian. The author. Yes yes the weirdo writing this *cough cough* so, hope you are enjoying this! Send me some feed back. Constructive critisism is welcome! I hope to improve my writing.


	6. Wesley and Memory

Keith, being the curious person he is, pressed further. “Where is he?” he asked. Eugene’s eyes widened. “You want to know everything don’t you?” Eugene whispered darkly, “well, then. I have a story to tell......”

F̶̨̞̄͋l̶̬̲̅a̸͓̯͑̎̚s̷̘̟̳͠h̶̦̮̯̝͂͒͋b̷̡͙̥͊͌̄̕ą̵͚͈͓̍c̷̗̽͊͆̕k̷͔͝ ̵͍̈R̷̥̱̲̀̃E̸͈̟̿ͅE̴̞̟̙̿́E̸͕͖̔̉Ë̷̥̦̟́͂͌̀E̴͉̝̎Ḙ̷̢͌ͅE̷̞̻̳̙͌͑͒

Matt and I were swimming deep in the ocean the day we were separated. It was about 2 weeks ago. I’m sure you guys remember a large storm brewing then. The water was turbulent. Matt and I swum hand in hand, fighting against the hard current to find shelter. Matt is just about my size, and his base color of scales and eyes are an electric blue. Beautiful brown hair. He hates storms, but has always been fascinated with lightning. I guess that explains the color of his scales. So, we were swimming. When the currents became too much for us, we swam up to rest. Rain pelted our faces like minuscule daggers as we floated on the surface, our arms wrapped around each other for safety. I don’t remember much after. There was this pummeling sensation. I was torn from him. I washed up on a beach here. If I stayed, I would be found and maybe kidnapped. So I pulled myself back in the water and stayed ever since. I didn’t know where I was, so I couldn’t find him.....

F̶̨̞̄͋l̶̬̲̅a̸͓̯͑̎̚s̷̘̟̳͠h̶̦̮̯̝͂͒͋b̷̡͙̥͊͌̄̕ą̵͚͈͓̍c̷̗̽͊͆̕k̷͔͝ ̵͍̈R̷̥̱̲̀̃E̸͈̟̿ͅE̴̞̟̙̿́E̸͕͖̔̉Ë̷̥̦̟́͂͌̀E̴͉̝̎Ḙ̷̢͌ͅE̷̞̻̳̙͌͑͒

“I miss him.” Eugene finished with a cracking voice, hiding his face in his hands. Ned gently patted his shoulder, sympathizing. Wesley babbled a bit, toddling towards the tank. “Hey Wes. Come here. Eugene might not want to talk right now.” Ned scooped up his son, balancing him on one hip. Wesley “talked” some more, making grabby hands at Eugene. “I think he wants you.” Ariel chuckled. Eugene let out a soft smile, the dark blue scales shifting to violet. “Ned, step back.” he commanded. Ned complied, stepping a few feet back. Eugene pulled himself up and carefully swung his heavy tail to the floor, then slid down. Wes squealed with delight, worming out of his father’s grasp and “ran” to the merman. He bapped his hands along Eugene’s smooth tail, and giggled when the tailfins flicked some water at him. Eugene swished his tail around as it changed colors, like a weird disco ball. Wes was full on screaming with glee, clapping his hands. Everyone else was guffawing with laughter at their antics. Eugene was happy, yet he couldn’t help but notice that Zach was gone this whole time.


	7. From Different Perspectives

The man in the black uniform stared down at me. With pride, and a little disgust. “You have served me well Kornfeld. Somehow. Ever since that pest has destroyed my boats, scared off my animals and customers, I have been tracking it down. You have helped my case. You will be paid well.” I looked away, slightly guilty for betraying Ned, but I needed the money. Besides, it’s just one merperson out of thousands. What’s the harm in that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up from the horrifying nightmare. Sucking in a breath, I looked about. No, he isn’t floating beside me. Yes. I miss him. Diving under and opening my gills, I sped off. My electric tail powered me forward. It’s been two (three?) weeks. I have to find Eugene. I don’t like being alone in an ocean as big as this. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, Eugene. Let’s see your hand.” Ned said. It’s been two days. Eugene had constant visits from Ariel and Wesley. Ned gently peeled back the old, blood stained cloth, the large gash had turned into a minor cut. “Wow. You healed fast.” he commented, examining the wound. “Yeah. I’ve always been like that. Just a merman thing I guess.” Eugene responded, gazing at it as well. “Looking good. Do you want me to grab some fried chicken?” Ned asked. Mouth watering, the merman nodded. 

About an thirty minutes later, Ned arrived with two buckets of chicken. “Hey! I’m back! Keith’s here too-” Ned’s sentence cut off with a gasp. The tank was tipped over, the water flooded out. Blood was splattered on the walls, obvious, crimson drag marks on the tiled floor. The buckets completely forgotten, the pair raced inside. “Nonono! He was just here!” Ned yelled, searching frantically. Keith looked thoughtful, scratching his head. “Do you have security cameras?” he inquired. “I think so?” Ned answered. Keith shrugged and strutted to the main office, Ned following. 

Turning on an old computer, Keith pulled up a tab and started typing. He was hacking into the cameras! “How did you do that?” Ned questioned, standing to the side. “There’s a reason why my restaurant hasn’t been robbed.” Keith answered, clicking on the video feed. The playback was shocking.

V̸̛̥̺͕͖̬̬͍̬͚̟̥̠͓̿͆́̽͐̑̓̒́͑͑͘͘ͅị̴̡̡̺͉̖̬̩̇̚͘͜d̸̯͛͐͋̒̑̄̂̎̿̒̑̊̀ͅe̴̢͚̗͎̝̭̬͖̯̿̋͂̆̍͜õ̸͔̪̱̔͒̄̏̄̂̑̄̈̚͠

The video focused on the tank. Eugene was swimming impatient circles, tail cycling colors. Then loud banging sounded, Eugene cycled from purple to orange, swimming to the back of the tank. The door to the room opened, revealing three people dressed in dark clothing. There was talk of time and trucks, water and money. One directs their attention to Eugene. The merman bared his teeth, flaring red. They walked to him, then leaned over the tank. Eugene pressed himself against the glass, trying to get as far away as possible. The person turned and spoke to the others. One snuck out the door, while the other came forward. Attempting to get behind the merman, they snuck around to the back. Eugene whirled about and snarled loudly. The intruder, taking no heed, continued to walk around. Eugene sped up and out of the water, clawing and biting at them. They jumped back, and the “leader” grabbed at Eugene’s tailfins. Eugene twisted around and whacked them on the head with it. Momentarily distracted, the person behind him grabbed onto his arms. He wriggled free, and attempted to attack them (pretty sure they’re a she). She brandished a knife and started whipping and jabbing to keep him at bay. Eugene backed off, hair wild and displaying teeth. She put down the knife for a single moment, and that’s when he struck. He flew out of the tank, tackling her and biting her arm. She screamed, and stabbed his back and tail repeatedly. He rolled off, trying to climb back into the tank. The leader ran over and yanked Eugene back down to the ground. He cried out in pain, struggling to get out of their grasp. He tried to scratch at them, but the woman nearby rushed over and swung her knife at him. Eugene jerked back, and laid still on the ground, curling in on himself. The stab wounds were starting to get to him. The two people hoisted up the unconscious merman and hauled him away.

V̸̛̥̺͕͖̬̬͍̬͚̟̥̠͓̿͆́̽͐̑̓̒́͑͑͘͘ͅị̴̡̡̺͉̖̬̩̇̚͘͜d̸̯͛͐͋̒̑̄̂̎̿̒̑̊̀ͅe̴̢͚̗͎̝̭̬͖̯̿̋͂̆̍͜õ̸͔̪̱̔͒̄̏̄̂̑̄̈̚͠

“If the timing was correct, this happened only fifteen minutes ago.” Keith speculated, comparing clocks on the screen and wall. Ned jumped up and chimed, “Then he might not be far away!”


	8. In the Back of a Truck

My vision was dark and black as I jostled in the back. I was surrounded by... water? No it’s too thick. What I thought were lights flashed by, revealing that I was covered with cloth and rags. I could feel the rough fabric between my fingertips. A particularly hard bump knocked my head. I whimpered from throbbing, stinging pain that was racing up and down my back. I wanted to go home. I didn’t ask to get kidnapped. Well, I kind of did. Back in Texas, there was a company that caught and sold rare sea life. I hated that place with a passion. So, I thwarted them every chance I got. This was before I met Matt. They thought I was just a stupid animal. Maybe they still do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keith was driving his blue car down the road. He had traced information directing them to who abducted Eugene. Apparently, a company called RSL Inc. Keith found the coordinates to the nearest building and started driving. 

Pulling up to the slightly worn-down warehouse, the two men climbed out. Ned remembered that Ariel wanted to go, but he insisted that she should stay and look after Wesley. She was disappointed, but complied. Keith motioned for Ned to follow him. Noticing an old, rusted door, Ned went over and pried it open with a crowbar he brought. (What? Are they not allowed to be prepared?) Sneaking inside, the friends crept down different hallways, hiding when they heard other people. One conversation was, “The asshole bit me!” Another was, “He’ll make a fine buck.” One startled them. Quickly wedging themselves in a break of a wall, they listened. A familiar voice floated down. “Yeah. I tipped them off. I knew about him for weeks! Look, Maggie. I couldn’t resist the offer...” Zach walked down the hall, talking on his smartphone. That piece of shit. He told them about Eugene! He’ll pay for that.


	9. Escape

Sneaking out of their hiding spot, Ned and Keith ran down the hallway Zach came from. Keith was trying doors, finding many of them locked. He pulled at one door, and it swung open easily. “Come on!” Keith whisper-called, tip toeing inside. Ned followed, looking around in the dimly lit room. A loud crash and screech of metal sounded. “Woah, SHIT!” Keith yelled, a thump followed. “I just tripped. I’m fine!” he said. Ned sighed with relief. They continued to drift through, then Ned stopped. “You hear that?” he murmured. Creeping towards the sounds he heard, he waved for Keith to follow. 

The was another part of the room. Narrower and smaller. Following the noise, Ned stepped through some liquid. Damp splashes were heard. A coppery tang filled his nose. 

He was walking through blood.

(Ewwwwww.)

Then he heard it again. The quiet whimpers at the back of the room. The ragged breathing. It suddenly stopped, and a small voice called nervously, “Who’s there?” “Eugene?” Ned said, steeping closer with Keith in tow. “Ned?” the broken voice asked. “I found a flashlight!” Keith cheered, flicking it on. Shining it around, it fell to the short, but thick trail of blood. At the end sat the poor merperson. Eugene was shaking, laid out on the floor with blood soaked rags on top of him. Little whines floating out into the air. The blood. It was still seeping out, coating Eugene’s back and tail. I’m surprised he didn’t pass out. “Ned, I can’t move. Where are you?” Eugene cried, tilting his head to find the two men. His usually neat hair was sticky and matted. “Eugene. Can you see us?” Keith asked, turning the flashlight beam to himself. Eugene looked around frantically. “No! I can’t,” the merman answered, voice raising from fear, “I can’t see anything.” Ned walked closer, grabbing the flashlight from Keith. Sweeping the light over Eugene’s body, he found clots of blood and skin, scales falling out. They were unusually pale, like clouds covering the sky. His back was dripping crimson blood sluggishly. His face had jagged cuts across them. That would explain why he couldn’t see. 

The knife had gouged his eyes.

This was harder than Ned thought. Eugene had to be carried out of the room, for he was too weak to move. His tail was slick with blood, gore, and tears, making it hard to hold onto. Thankfully, sneaking out wasn’t hard. ‘They must’ve left him to die.’ Ned thought as they maneuvered Eugene into the back seat of Keith’s car. Wrapping him up in towels they brought, Keith muttered, “Ned and I are going to get you out of here.” Eugene nodded, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. Keith shut the door. 

Then they were speeding down the highway, and away.


	10. Salt on Wounds

“What are we going to do? We can’t keep him at the lab anymore. We can’t have him in our houses...” Ned worried, pinching the bridge of his nose. Keith glances at the merman, who was half asleep in the back seat. The towels weren’t soaking through, thank god. But maybe that’s because there’s nothing left to bleed out. ‘We’ll have to heal his wounds. They’re deep, but fixable. Yet, his eyes.’ Ned thought. 

Pulling up to his restaurant’s parking lot, Keith glances out at the rising sun. How beautiful and majestic it was compared to the ocean below. The two men climbed out of the car, unintentionally slamming the doors. Ned has expected Eugene to wake up from the hard sound, but he didn’t move an inch. Opening the back door, Ned patted Eugene’s shoulder. “Hey dude, wake up.” His eyes were still closed, cheeks deathly pale. His scales were chalky white. “Eugene?” Ned bugged, shoving his shoulder. “Keith! He isn’t waking up!” Ned shouted. Keith started, alarmed. “What do we do?!” “I-I don’t know! I mean, he’s healed himself before. Maybe it will happen again.” Ned stammered. “Maybe we should just keep him in the car. Make sure he isn’t hurt.” Keith fretted, firing off ideas. Then it clicked. “We have to find Matt. He might be able to help us. And the lab’s boat is big enough.” Ned speculated. “This better work.” Keith muttered. A raspy cough broke the tense air. Eugene weakly opened his eyes the best he could. “Matt?” he breathed. They nodded, saying “yes”. “Put me in the water. That’s what Matt would do.” Eugene mumbled weakly, shifting to sit up. Slipping down to the seat, he let out a tiny moan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My head hurts like a bitch. It’s throbbing. The hot flashes that keep appearing on my back don’t help. I can’t move. I can’t see. My face feels like it had been jabbed at with a burning stick. I can’t see. Everything is dark. I can only see faint shapes and lights. Does this mean I’m blind now? 

Am I going to have to squeak like an oversized chipmunk to get around?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supporting his body between them, they lowered Eugene into the water. The salty liquid stung for a moment, then Eugene’s face relaxed. The stab wounds started to seal up, just small gashes now. It’s seems that water heals. Ned and Keith watched as Eugene dipped his face into the foamy surf. Looking up, it had mostly healed. His snake, violet eyes were now a milky lilac. “Nope. Still can’t see.” he uttered.


	11. United

“Well then. Glad to see you’re doing better.” Ned commented, sitting on the sand. “Yeah.” Eugene responded, swishing his fingers around in the water. “Should we get the boat ready?” Keith asked. He sat up from where he was laying in the warm sun. “Oh yeah!” Ned chimed. “What for?” Eugene questioned, blind gaze shifting from the water to them. “We’re gonna find Matt!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was sitting on the edge of the boat, hands trailing the bubbling water around the engines. It was weird, not being able to see the waves. My senses are not enhanced, contrary to popular belief. I just rely on them more. I looked up and said for the fourth time, “Where are we going?” “I’m taking you as far into the Pacific Ocean as I can. Then we’ll see from there. Now stop bugging me!” Ned replied from the front of the boat. I smirked at his annoyance. 

About an hour later, I felt the boat stop. The foamy currents turned to stillness. “Okay Eugene! We’re going to drop you off and follow you.” Keith called to me. Oh my god. I haven’t swam properly in weeks! I slid into the water like a seal, letting my gills open and flare out. The sea felt so good. I clicked my tongue loudly, scanning my surroundings. (I was practicing in the boat, much to my friends’ frustration.) Okay, there was something large to my left, and a few small things to my right. I propelled myself forward in the water. My tail’s a bit stiff, but I’m much faster than I was in the tank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suddenly, Eugene sped in the water like a torpedo. “Holy shit! Look at him go!” Keith yelled, watching the lavender figure fly through the sea. “C’mon! Let’s go!” Ned cheered as he revved the engine, and started off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know they’re following me. They started the boat again, and the buzzing in the water hasn’t left since. I continue clicking and swimming for what felt like an eternity (but was really thirty minutes). Then, familiar shapes filled my dark vision. Rock-like things. Coral! There’s an animal over there, some gravel there. Oh yes. Jellyfish. I might as well eat. 

I finished hunting. (The guys stopped for me.) Wiping my mouth, satisfied, I swam more. I was a blur in the rocky kingdom. Fish swam out of the way to let me through. I stopped again to catch my breath. I clicked once more. There’s an organism swimming towards me from far away. They’re about my size. I’ll have to be on guard if it’s a diver. 

I swam towards them, cautious. A gasp rang through the water. “Eugene?” a shocked voice inquired. “Matthew?” I murmured, swimming closer towards them. Then he grasped my arm and brought me to him. “Matt. I missed you so much.” I cried into his shoulder. “I missed you too.” he laughed, choking up. I cupped his face in my hands, squinting to try and see his face. “Oh ‘Gene. What happened?” he asked, brushing my cheeks with his fingers. “Human Karma happened.” I responded. Matt exhaled, clearly sympathizing. I threw my arms around him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. We floated to the ocean bottom, loudly chatting and worrying over each other. It broke apart with a long and passionate kiss. “I love you.” Matt expressed. I genuinely smiled for the first time in a while. “I love you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ned and Keith watched from above. They sighed, happy for the two lovers. Then, they popped out of the water. They both were glowing yellow. “Thank you so much for helping me.” Eugene said, gratitude flushing out of his words. “You’re welcome. Bye Eugene!” Keith replied, shaking the two people’s hands. “Nice to meet you. Hope I see you again.” Ned expressed. The pairs bowed their heads to each other, then Matt and Eugene were gone. Then, a rather sad Ned started the boat and drove, with a silent Keith beside him.


	12. Shimmering Scales

It’s been six months since the “Eugene Fiasco”. That’s what Ned likes to call it in his head. The lab was shut down when it lost its only biologists. Ned has an office job unfortunately, and Zach disappeared, along with RSL Inc. Keith decided to put a dock next to his restaurant. “For the lovebirds.” he said with a wink when showing it to Ned. They knew what it was really for. 

Ned was sitting with Keith and Ariel there, distributing chicken between themselves from two buckets. Watching the fiery sun shine down on the water below them. Idly talking, they didn’t notice the two shapes floating up. The explosion of water definitely got their attention! Ned and Ariel were laughing at Keith’s soaked front. Then he flicked water at them, soiling their light hair. 

“Hey guys!” a familiar voice called. Looking down, they saw Eugene and Matt’s heads poking out of the water. “I came to let Matt try fried chicken!” Eugene explained.

As it turns out, Matt likes fried chicken as much as Eugene does. They had taken a bucket, completely devoured it in less than three minutes, Matt guiding Eugene’s fingers to the food. Keith laughed and went inside to grab more. With the chicken bucket in hand, the couple thanked them and dove under the water, shimmering scales left behind.

It was good to see them again.

I wonder how the chicken stays dry?


End file.
